Hansel and Gretel
by Encalve
Summary: one-shot. A retelling of Hansel and Gretel with a little twist and post-apocalyptic-ish thingies


Once upon a time in a certain ruined country, there lived a widow and her two children, a boy and a girl. The boy's name was Hansel, and the girl's name was Gretel. Since their father who's worked as a woodcutter died, Hansel has been ordered by his stepmother to chop woods or find a better job. Gretel was dragged by her stepmother to a big settlement to be enslaved to fulfill the lust of perverted men. Gretel never told her brother about her "job" due to the intimidation from her stepmother.

One day, Hansel was going to gather some woods. Before he went to, he collected some casings of various calibers and shiny pebbles to mark his road. Because he often went back home at night, the moonlight will illuminate the casings and pebbles, creating a signal light for him to back home. After drank a glass of water, he bid farewell to his stepmother and sister. He took a small cart and the old axe that used by his father prior passed away. The blade was sharp enough to split wood, yet there is some noticeable rust around the blade; the handle was cracked, but it has been repaired with duct tapes and some nails.

During his way, he gathered wild berries and fruits to be consumed as his breakfast. Arrived in the middle of the woods, Hansel start observed the trees and chopped those which are old enough to be cut. Due to his tender age of thirteen, he couldn't fetch woods as much as his father did.

After the full moon had come up, Hansel has decided to call it a day, he had gathered enough woods to be sold tomorrow. He followed and regathered the glistening casings and pebbles he put earlier. He keep followed and gathered the casings and pebbles throughout the entire night, and finally; he arrived at his house.

As he entered the house, Gretel greeted him cheerfully, but he knew that something is wrong with her sister. He asked about what happened to her, but she said that she was okay. He gave her some handful of wild berries to her and promised to bring more to her. Afterward, he took a nap, because he had to wake up before daybreak to sell the woods.

On the next day, Hansel has sold all of his woods and returned to preparing himself to gathered woods. He looked at the sky which is very cloudy and could possibly rain, but he hoped for the best not to rain. At least until he went back home.

Unfortunately, the rain has started and Hansel couldn't get back home because the casings and pebbles would be covered in mud, not to mention that there is no moonlight during the heavy rain. Overwhelmed by the rain, Hansel dragged his cart to find a shelter, and he's stumbled upon a wooden house, just like his but bigger and more luxurious.

He knocked the door first to ask permission, so he could enter the house, but he soon realized that the door was left unlocked. Not forgetting his axe, he entered the house and found that the house was empty. He searched one of the rooms and found a room filled with some well-treated firearms and ammunition boxes. As he glanced at the guns, he heard a prattle from outside. He turned to finding a hunter had entered the house. Surprised, the hunter took aim at him. Hansel panicked and immediately ducked to avoid the firing line.

As the hunter approached Hansel, he first knocked off the hunter's leg. The hunter fell to the floor and slashed his other leg, as he is unable to move. Then he chopped the back of the hunter until he couldn't move a finger. Known that the hunter was dead, Hansel stopped chopping at the corpse and glared at the horror he just made.

After committing his first murder, Hansel's hand trembled. His axe slipped off from his grip, creating a small clank in the wailing sound of the rainstorm. He sat in a corner and hugged his knee to calm himself down. His clothes were covered in blood; his mind was still bewildered by a fact that he might kill an innocent hunter who just wanted to take a rest. He couldn't go back home like this nor met Gretel.

On the next morning, Hansel took everything as much as his cart would fit from the house. Before he went off in search of his home, he buried the hunter next to his house. He was never planned to get into the killing; he thought that if he just spoke to him,this wouldn't happen. With a small sigh, he left the house.

He walked through the forest, and finally found the way back. However, when he entered his home, he heard Gretel's scream. Worried, he rushed to his sister, and he found a middle-aged man stripping Gretel's clothes off. He swiftly grabbed the man and dragged him backwards and knocked him out cold with the back of his axe.

Hansel was confused about what just happened there, why that there is a middle-aged guy in his house and stripping his sister off. He tried to ask his sister, but she's stressed out. She's just murmuring accompanied with a sob. He knew that he wouldn't get any information from her, so he proceeded to ask his mother.

His mother just shouted and shouted to him about how did he and her sister not trying to make a prosperous living, even insulting his late father and giving him and his sister a death threat. Hansel confused and told his mother to chill out for a while. His mother didn't hear his advice and instead; she pulled a pistol and shot Hansel in the arm.

Hansel cringed in agony while holding his arm. His stepmother shot him once more in the torso, causing him to collapse to the ground. As his stepmother tried to shoot again Hansel heard a gunshot, but this time is from the front door. He turned his head to the front door, and he saw his sister holding a rifle. Her hand was trembling, and her whole body was pale white.

Hansel saw his stepmother slowly fell down. In her forehead, a hole was carved in and a pool of blood was formed near her head. He turned his head to saw his sister; he saw his sister screaming and crying hysterically. Even though in agony, Hansel tried to get up and hug his sister to conform her.

After Gretel has calmed a bit, she asked her brother if he was okay. He answered that he needed a quick surgery to remove the bullet. Gretel hastily goes out to find a doctor, but Hansel stopped her. He then explained that the nearest doctor would take around two hours to reach the clinic, adding that no one would waste their time tending to his wound with no reward whatsoever.

A young man passed by and offered to help. He wore a white lab coat and was accompanied by three small robots. Two of them hovered around them while the third remained on the ground. Gretel felt grateful and accepted the young man's offer. The man approach Hansel and whispered to his ear, Hansel responded by just nodding to him.

Without haste, the man grabbed a scalpel provided by his robot and cut open Hansel's wound. The robot which on the ground deployed a small crane and entered Hansel's wound. Hansel tried to held his pain as the crane have reached the location of the bullet. Slowly it began to pull the bullet carefully and drop it to the ground.

The young man checked Hansel's arm afterward and he found that the bullet went through his shoulder. He made a hand signal to one of the floating robot. The floating robot flew through Hansel and emitting a soothing light from it's hand. Hansel watched in amaze as his wounds started to close itself. The man looked at the stepmother's lying body and asked Hansel what just happened. Hansel simply replied by saying that was a long story. The young man bid farewell and left Hansel and Gretel by themselves.

Without anyone to take care of them, Hansel and Gretel are left to take care of each other. Three years have passed and nowadays; the siblings live as a hunter and often as an escort for those who lost in the forest.


End file.
